


Dare to Dream

by Zimithrus1



Series: Always and Forever [2]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Boys Kissing, Clack, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance, Sexual Tension, Some Humor, Teasing, Truth or Dare, Tumblr: otpprompts, zakkura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 09:08:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6188563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zimithrus1/pseuds/Zimithrus1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What starts of as a simple game of Truth or Dare at a party turns into something a little more heated as sparks fly between a nervous cadet named Cloud, and a confident First Class named Zack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dare to Dream

**Author's Note:**

> This was also based off another prompt, but it was very fun to write ;) With not much else to say, I hope you guys enjoy it!

**Dare to Dream**

Cloud had felt uncomfortable before, like that time when his squad leader directed they practice in pairs. He had felt embarrassed, like when he had tripped in the cafeteria and sent his spaghetti dinner on a one way trip to the top of his head. He had even felt stupid when he had once called a certain superior by 'Angel' instead of 'Angeal'. But he didn't know how to react when he felt _completely out of place_.

The lights were off, but in its place, some fancy neon strobes shined and blinked haphazardly across the walls and against the floor. People were crowded and cramped into a moderately sized living room talking, dancing, and generally letting loose tonight. Cloud however, had pressed himself into a corner where the smallest amount of action was and made sure to keep completely to himself. He cursed internally, chiding about how he should have stayed back in his barracks this evening.

The current party the blond was currently attending and wishing he wasn't, had been thrown to celebrate a friend of a friend finally making First Class in said friend's apartment. Naturally, the people contained in this cramped room were mostly SOLDIER's and ranks of the like. The blond had never felt so detached in his life, especially when he realized long ago that he was one of the only cadets here. It was just him and three others, and Gaia _knows_ where those other three disappeared to. So, here he stood: wedged into a corner and by himself, awkwardly curling his fingers around his bottle of water.

Why had he even come in the first place? Why did his best friend have to sucker him into coming? More importantly, why didn't he just say no? Oh yeah, because his best friend just so happened to be Zack- _fucking_ -Fair, and you don't get the option to say _no_ to Zack Fair.

Even just thinking of his friend caused a feverish pink blush to assault his cheeks and make his mouth water. They had met so many months ago by pure coincidence. Cloud needed to file some SOLDIER recommendation reports for his squad, and Zack had just finished filing out papers of his own. They had collided on the way to the Director's office and ended up sprawled over the other against the ground. Ever since then, they had made a habit out of literally running into each other for the longest time. Eventually, they butted heads so much that they ended up doing some talking and became fast friends.

That was six months ago to the day. Ever since the First class showed up in his life, it brightened his life like a flash of light in the dark. He didn't even think it was possible that he could laugh or smile so much in his servitude to the infantry, but Zack made the impossible, possible.

But now things were changing between them. When they hung out, they did more than just shoot the breeze and complain about their days. Now they would spend hours on the couch watching ridiculous Bollywood movies in close proximity to the other. During those nights, Cloud would always catch his best friend's eyes glancing over in his direction and his mouth always grinning when he did so.

He would always make sure to sit close to the blond on the couch, or wherever he happened to be sitting. He always made sure to invade his personal space and always managed to tease him about everything and anything. But the biggest change was the way he would look at him and speak to him. Friendly eyes and happy smiles had changed; they were lidded most of the time and that mouth was more of a seductive smirk. When Zack spoke, _God_ when he spoke, it was like listening to the most hypnotic voice in the world.

It was deep, deeper than usual. It always had a husky quality to it even when he would laugh or crack a joke. He always looked like the blond was game and he was the hunter. Cloud never knew what to make out of all that. All he knew was it was intoxicating and he loved it, even if he joked about the exact opposite every time. What exactly was going on between them? The blond was oblivious to the meanings behind the actions and didn't know if he'd ever catch on.

But whatever it was, it was making him fall fast and hard. A look made him feel like he was hit by a semi-truck. A deep laugh had his chest tighten. A smirk made his throat constrict. Just one step into his private space and one smooth comment had his anatomy sharply saluting. But no matter what, just _thinking_ about him or _looking_ at him made him blush and flush and writhe.

Zack Fair turned Cloud Strife into a confused, blushing, frustrated idiot.

He thought about the idea of booking it out of there, now feeling worked up and anxious. –actually, he had thought about it four times within the span of five minutes, but he didn't want to upset the one guy that let him come to something like this. He didn't want to blow off the fact that he was just trying to get him to branch out and meet new people. He didn't know if he should feel annoyed or grateful.

Cloud shifted his weight from his left side to his right, nestling his back into the safety of the dim and semi-quiet corner. He wasn't big on crazy parties like these. A simple one? Now that would have been a step up. But this one? Nu-uh. Once more, the thought of getting the hell out of there flashed across the front of his brain. He almost made move to follow through with the impulse, but stopped in mid-flight when his eyes connected with the reason why he was here.

There was Zack, glancing around near the kitchen in the dim, but colorful, lighting. It looked as if he was searching for something with the way his head tilted and turned at different angles and in different positions. He even pulled his right hand up and shielded his brow, as if he was scouting distant seas from afar.

When their eyes connected, Cloud's breath froze in his lungs on the spot. Not for the fact that he was still stuck halfway off the wall and halfway towards the front door, but because of how both his friend looked, and how he was looking _at_ him.

Zack was wearing an outfit the blond had never seen on him before, deducing almost instantly it was brand-new. He was clothed in a white collared shirt, the sleeves were just long enough to reach past his elbows where they were rolled into loose cuffs. His collar was down and a small red ribbon adorned his neck. Over that was a solid black vest with a low V-neck and brass buttons. His jeans were slim, tight on his frame as they hugged each muscle and curve. The fabric even accentuated a bulge, a bump just beneath the button of the pants.

Cloud swallowed thickly.

Zack's eyes of sky blue had brightened momentarily before they narrowed out into something that could have passed for hungry or provocative. Instead of a bright smile, it was a half-smirk. But he was quick to tone down the expression as he sauntered his way over, passing for a teasing looking.

Cloud soon found himself backing into the corner he had just tried to escape from as Zack approached him. With every step, the further back the blond managed to shrink into the dark corner. By the time the First class as invading his space, as per usual, the cadet's back was pressed firmly into the crack. His head was tilted up and gazing at the SOLDIER with both panicked-adrenaline and a bright blush painted across his cheeks. The difference in height only further served to make Zack's broad frame look even more muscular and formidable.

There was suddenly a hand on the wall. The raven-haired man had reached up and pressed his right hand against the wall right next to Cloud's face. That cocky and stimulating look washed over his tanned face once more, the half-smirk coming out to play as he shifted his weight, leaning on his right.

"Hey, Chocobo-head." His husky tenor voice greeted.

"Oh, uh, h-hi, Zack." The blond stammered, feeling heat rushing throughout his entire face.

"Watcha doing out here by yourself?" The First class commented, toning down on the deep voice as his face suddenly appeared more playful than promiscuous.

He even backed off slightly, allowing the cadet to pull himself out of the corner and stand on his own. The hand was removed from the wall but the SOLDIER found comfort in putting all his weight against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest and crossing his right leg in front of the left at the ankle.

"Oh, sorry. I'm just a little nervous I guess." Cloud supplied, rubbing the back of his head as he broke eye contact with the bigger male.

"About the large crowd, huh?" Zack mused, glancing behind him to remind himself of how packed it really was.

"Yeah." The blond admitted, removing his hand from his head and holding it in front of him instead.

"Me and a few others are going to play a game in the spare bedroom, you wanna come? It'll be much more calm then out here." The raven-haired man suggested, using his thumb to point behind him.

"Uh, sure." Cloud agreed, nodding his head slightly.

Zack finally broke away from the wall and gave his friend the room he needed to peel away from the corner and adequately move about. When it seemed he was ready to follow, the First class lead the way. The small cadet scurried behind his best friend, hiding in the path he was able to clear. If he had tried to break through a wall of wildly dancing people himself, he'd never get by.

The walk was a short one; cut across the living room, down a small hall, and the spare room as the last one on the right. There was soft clear light here, nothing like the flashy stuff just a few yards away. There were three other people standing around in the room, in which Cloud knew, much to his dismay.

Out of all the people they had to play a game with, it _had_ to be with the top three Firsts in all of Shin-ra: Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth. The blond knew _of_ them and actually _knew_ them to some extent. He had met them individually at certain points and was at least acquainted and friendly with them, thanks to a certain someone standing right beside him now. Still, seeing them off hours and in normal clothing was a sight within itself.

Genesis was clothed in a plan red t-shirt and black jeans, devoid of anything fancy like he usually wore. Sephiroth was dressed in a tight black V-neck shirt and off-black skinny jeans. He looked a little too stiff in that outfit, like it was picked for him and without his consent. Finally Angeal was clothed in a forest green shirt and camo pants.

But more importantly, why were they here at a place and time like this?

The confusion must have spelled out his question, because Angeal was already answering him.

"Zack invited us." He responded in his husky baritone.

"I bailed on my paperwork." Genesis quipped with a smirk.

"All in all, we needed a reprieve from office work." Sephiroth summarized.

"Ah." Cloud noted, finding solace in holding his hands behind his back loosely.

"How have you been lately, Cloud?" Angeal asked with a calm smile, hoping to ease away the blond's slight anxiety about being near them like so.

"I've been okay." The cadet answered, feeling a bit more comfortable, but still keeping his hands behind his back.

"Please, we _know_ how he's been! Your puppy never shuts up about him!" Genesis huffed playfully, placing his hands on his hips in a sassy fashion.

"At least I never shut up about good things, unlike your LOVELESS prattling." Zack teased back, the same kind of sass in his voice like the commander had in his stance.

Cloud felt himself blushing at the commentary both about him or directed towards him. Apparently the First had been telling his other First friends about him, and subconsciously, he was considered good. He had to bite back a gentle smile threatening to spill off the corners of his thin lips.

"We came here to get away from the office, not bring one of the things that come up way to often along with." Angeal remarked with a tinge of sarcasm in his voce.

"Jealous, _all_ of you." Genesis observed, waving the objectors off with his right hand, completely nude from the glove that would normally conceal it.

Sephiroth displayed a near out of character moment when he rolled his eyes subtly at the brunette's behavior. He even shook his head slightly, only detectable if you looked close enough.

"So, apparently the pup has a game set up for us?" Angeal brought up, his query gestured for the whole group.

"Ah, right! I thought we could play a good old fashioned game of Truth or Dare!" Zack remembered, holding his right hand up in the air as he smiled.

" _Truth or Dare?_ How infantile _are_ you?" Genesis mocked as he arched a single brown brow.

"Hey, the first time we ever decided to play a game _you_ were the one to suggest this infantile game!" The raven-haired First countered back smugly, crossing his arms over his chest as in victory.

It looked as if the brunette was going to make some snippy comment, finger poised and back slouched, but the words died on his tongue when memory served that he was the one to instigate that notion many moons ago. He withdrew his pointed finger and put a scowl on his face instead.

"Fine. Then let's play the stupid game already." Genesis scowled as he sat himself down on the floor, getting into the proper formation.

Angeal and Sephiroth followed his lead, sitting down against the bedroom floor and already forming a loose half-circle. Cloud and Zack took their places next, order shifted slightly. They were not next to each other, but across from each other. The blond had felt very nervous about that at first, but sitting next to Angeal definitely helped ease some of that anxiety.

"Alright, who wants to start?" Zack asked, letting someone else take the first move.

"I suppose I'll go." Angeal stepped up, before he placed a hand to his chin in thought before starting up again with, "Okay Genesis truth or dare?"

"I'll go with truth!"

"How many copies of LOVELESS do you _really_ have?"

The brunette grew a proud smile on his face as he sat up straighter, before he responded with, "Well, you already know about the three normal copies, the four special print replicas, and the two gold plated copies. Aside from that, I have one of the very first books ever printed, along with different variations of the tale. All in all, I have about twenty-seven copies." Genesis explained with a grin.

Cloud himself was shocked. He covered his mouth with his right hand so he wouldn't outwardly show the others he was surprised to hear that. He saw Zack chuckle across from him at the display.

"I should have known there were more than twenty copies." Angeal spoke, chiding himself playfully.

"Maybe you should have! Okay, this one's for you, Sephy. Truth or dare?" Genesis directed as he batted his eyelashes at the older man.

"Truth." Sephiroth responded, giving the brunette a subtle look of 'really? The eyelash thing again?'

"Is your hair long just because you like it long, or is there another reason behind it? And _no_ lying!" The commander snipped with an all knowing grin.

If Cloud didn't know any better, he'd say the general was actually _blushing_.

"I do prefer it at this length, but often times as a child I used it as… A security blanket." The silver-haired man muttered, clearing his throat nervously at the end.

This time, Zack couldn't help but slam his hand over a gaping mouth of his own. Angeal arched an eyebrow and Genesis had a determined and sure look on his face.

"Are you sure you only used it for security as a _child_? I could have _sworn_ I saw you cuddling it a few weeks ago?" he commander mused nonchalantly.

"I answered my truth." Sephiroth quickly countered, not wanting to answer that last bit. "Zack, truth or dare?" He quickly asked the younger First class.

"Oh, me? Uh, dare!" The young man peeped, trying to throw away the surprise on both his face and voice.

"Hmm…I dare you to tell us if you ever tested out Angeal's sword without permission when he wasn't around?"

"Um, Seph? That's just a truth question phrased like a dare." The young man sheepishly responded, pulling at the white collar of his shirt as if he was hot.

"No Zack-" Angeal began, crossing his arms over his chest as a playfully stern look passed over his face. "Answer it, I _dare_ you." He added.

The general smirked, amused now that the attention had been pulled off of him and his hair and onto the pup instead.

"But Angeal, it's not your turn yet. You have to wait until-"

"A dare is a dare, pup."

"…Okay, okay, _fine_! I _did_ try out Angeal's sword once when he went out to get groceries when I first became a Second class! I swung it around and knocked over a vase! _There_ , are you happy!?" Zack admitted quickly, red painting his face thickly.

"Very." Sephiroth and Angeal spoke at the same time in the same amused tone.

"Okay, _Angeal_ , truth or dare?" The youngest First asked, crossing his arms over his chest like how his mentor was doing.

"I'll be gutsy, dare." The older raven-haired man answered as he uncrossed his arms.

"I dare you to lick Genesis's face!" Zack exclaimed, pointing at the brunette to emphasis his dare.

" _Eww!_ " The commander howled.

"What do you mean ' _ew_ '?" Angeal questioned with narrowed eyes.

Cloud was right back to hiding his mouth, but this time because he didn't want to burst out laughing in front of everyone. Off the clock, the three firsts were just like any other person. The blond didn't know why he felt intimidated by them in that moment.

Just for that comment, without warning or indication, the burly First leaned over quickly and licked the crimson commander's right cheek. He made sure there was an extra amount of saliva for the contact before he pulled away with a smirk. Genesis was rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand violently and with a disgusted look on his face.

"Alright, Cloud. Truth or dare?" Angeal asked, finally bringing the blonde into the game over Genesis's cries of ' _you guys are so gross!'_

"Um, truth I guess?" The cadet chose, feeling a little shy now that he was finally put on the spot.

"Is your hair natural? Or do you style it like that?"

"Oh, it's natural. No product." Cloud answered, feeling much better knowing it was a simple question that didn't delve too deep into his personal life.

The larger First shook his head in understanding, as if he was trying to make the connection but falling a tad bit short.

"Okay, my turn, umm… Zack, truth or dare?" The blond asked.

"I have a feeling you won't make me do any crazy dares, so I guess I'll go with truth." The older man answered.

"Uh, what was your first impression of me when we met?"

"Oh, easy. Cute, still are." Zack chirped with a wink. "Well then Cloud, I'm gonna have to ask you truth or dare?"

The blond was blushing brightly at the comment, but knowing he had to answer again so quickly wiped it off his face. "Um, truth?" He responded. He was honestly too nervous to attempt a dare right now. Who _knows_ what Zack would make him do?

"What was your first impression of _me?_ " The raven-haired man mused, falling back into his seductive look and deeper voice.

"Oh, well, I-" Cloud stammered, that blush coming back and bringing reinforcements. "I thought you were, um, really nice, and funny. And um, you looked really sincere." The blonde choked out.

"Really now? You didn't think _anything_ else?"

"I, uh, well, I might have thought about some other things I guess, but it's not like they were really important…"

"What kinda other things?" Zack pressed, lidding those sky blue eyes of his.

Sephiroth spoke of going to get something to drink in the background. Cloud saw him move from his peripheral vision, but didn't really _hear_ him. He was quick to rise and just as quick to leave the room quietly.

"Well, I, thought that you had nice- _ahem-_ nice eyes. I had never seen that kind of color before when we first met. And um-" The blonde fumbled, feeling red all throughout his face now.

Genesis mutely stated that he was going to get something to drink with Sephiroth as well. He too was quick to get up and go, almost much too deliberately to pass for actually getting something to drink.

"Did you happen to think of anything else? Like, I don't know, perhaps how I looked?" Zack hinted casually, feigning innocence as he kept that dark look on his face.

Cloud connected nervous eye contact with the First's own. That look, the voice he was using. It became all the cadet could see or hear at that point. He started to get less jittery as he focused in on those hypnotic eyes and even found a near steady calm to his own voice. Angeal's voice was muted, bit it was obvious that he too was breaking away for some reason or another. His large frame up and left like the other two before him, leaving just the two young adults by themselves.

"I thought that you looked, well, pretty attractive for a guy. I had never seen someone so captivating before you. The way you held yourself, spoke, strutted…" Cloud listed, most of his nervousness gone now that it was just them. Something else was taking its place, and even he was unsure of what it was.

Huh, did his best friend always look that beautiful?

"Yeah?" Zack grinned, that quirky and sensual half-grin flittering across his bow-shaped lips. He moved slightly, scooting forward to close the gap between himself and the cadet.

"Yeah…So, truth or dare?" The blonde asked as his rubicund blush splotched down his neck, his eyes watching as the raven-haired man would move closer, pause, then start it up again.

There was something stirring in his stomach, something fluttering in his chest. Whatever it was, Cloud had to admit he liked the sensation. He liked the butterflies swelling in his stomach, he liked the sporadic beats of his heart, and he liked the way his breath froze in his lungs the closer his best friend drew near.

He could barely even exhale by the time Zack was only two feet away from him, his eyes glowing brightly as his ivory white half-smile glimmering faintly. The cadet could smell the First's natural scent; smoked sandalwood and cinnamon. It was overwhelming. So much so that his groin was throbbing and he had tented. With a quick glance down, he could tell that his best friend was having the same kind of lower body reaction too.

"Dare." Zack purred from his spot right in front of the blond.

Something in the way he said it, something in the way there was an exhale when he spoke that one word. Something in the way that breath ghosted through the air around. The way the raven-haired man closed the distance between them further, steady hand hooking thick blonde locks behind his ear. The way the touch sent chills up and down his arms and made his cock throb. All of it lead up to a simple,

"Kiss me."

There was no hesitation, no further que. Zack slowly and amorously pressed his lips against Cloud's. Sparks ignited and chemistry mixed, emotions bleeding into the other. It was the best thing the cadet had ever felt in his short eighteen years of life. He could drown in it, lose himself in it completely. He exhaled against the lips pressing into his with a sigh intermingled within.

That caused the older man to kiss him with more ferocity. It was firmer, harder, and more vicious. The blonde's bottom lip was brought in between his canines and bit down on. A moan puffed out from the cadet's mouth. There was no indication before a tongue swiftly broke through those lips to explore inside a wanting mouth. Saliva exchanged, tastes swapped, unique signatures transferred. Binding, bonding, coming together.

Cloud let out a sharper moan when Zack's body suddenly clashed into his own. It was enough for the blonde to topple over, their kiss quickly ended momentarily with a _pop_. The raven-haired one was quick to follow through, to hover and to pin. Hands gripped wrists, securing them against the floor before that mouth dived in for a second taste.

The blonde felt a leg wedge in between his own, parting them just enough to allow the elder teen to hunch down closer to the lithe frame beneath him. Chest against chest, erection pressed against the other. There was a swift bite to the younger's bottom lip and a firm thrust to his hips.

Cloud parted swollen lips to moan, but was cut off when that tongue dove back in, driving so far back it cut the air from getting to the blond's lungs. He coughed, gagging slightly at the deep intrusion. This in turn caused Zack to groan into his mouth like a wolf. Another collision of hips to hips, cocks stiffening even more so. The cadet had to twist his head to the side and break away from the lust and love flooding his mouth so he could breathe. Except he was more panting and heaving by this point.

"So…How long have you felt like this about me?" Zack questioned darkly as his callused hands squeezed those slender wrists tighter.

"Since…I got to know you. I always…" Pause to gasp and breathe, "I always admired you from afar. But when…When I met you, it all changed…" Cloud admitted, trying to focus on speaking instead of heaving. "What about…You?"

"Since I first laid my eyes on you." Zack admitted. "Truth or dare?"

"Huh?"

"Answer it, okay?" Zack requested as his thumbs started to rub the tender flesh of the blond's wrists.

"Alright, truth."

"Did you know I planned this game out just so I could finally show you how I feel?"

Cloud's eyes widened slightly.

"And also, Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis were all in on this too? Even my friend Kunsel, who just got promoted, helped me orchestrate this thing too?" He added in, smiling down at the cadet with the 'deer in the headlights' look on his face, continuing to massage the skin of the younger's wrists.

"…Truth or dare?" The blond asked with great emotion in his voice, his eyes starting to water.

"Truth."

"Do you love me?" Cloud asked breathlessly.

His question was met in the form of a chaste kiss to his forehead, then to his lips.

"I do, Cloud Strife." Zack whispered against the shell of the cadet's ear. "Truth or-"

"I love you too, Zack fair." The blonde responded, before the question could even be asked back.

The two smiled for a moment before deciding to kiss one last time.

**Author's Note:**

> What can I say? Clack/Zakkura is my life force! *Ships harder than before*


End file.
